Anderson Oconee Pickens

Margaret Burdette Receives Tri-County's Staff Excellence Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/19/2004
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- The director of Tri-County Technical College's organizational and professional development was honored Thursday (August 19) with the highest award given for staff excellence at the College.

Margaret Burdette, of Clemson, received the Presidential Medallion for Staff Excellence at the annual faculty/staff breakfast. The medallion, along with a cash award made possible by the Alumni Association, goes to a person who has demonstrated over and over a strong belief in the purpose and mission of the College.

Ms. Burdette, who joined the College in 1999, is in charge of strategic planning, faculty/staff development, accreditation and the College's committee structure, as well as policies and procedures.

She was among the faculty/staff members in 2002 who were selected as Tri-County Technical College's nominees for the South Carolina Technical Education Association's (SCTEA) outstanding educators of the year.

Ms. Burdette began her career in 1979 at Ampex Corporation in Opelika, Alabama, as an accounting manager, and for over 16 years served in various capacities with her last position being cost accounting manager. When she and her family moved to the Clemson area, she began teaching part-time accounting classes for Tri-County. In 1999 she joined Maxfli Sports Corporation as a cost accounting manager and worked there until she returned to Tri-County in her current job.

With a focus on building community within the College, she has instituted the Master Teacher program, the President's Leadership Program, brown bag discussions and a campus book club.

"Although Margaret does an excellent job of performing her job duties, she doesn't settle for just doing things the same old way," said Betty Dean, a secretary for the Institutional Advancement Division. "She is constantly looking for and thinking of creative ways to improve life at Tri-County. She is not afraid to take risks and doesn't sit around and ask, 'I wonder if that would work.' She dives in and does it."

Initially adjunct orientation wasn't in Burdette's job duties, but after attending a three-hour orientation session at the College, she saw a way to improve the program and developed an online adjunct orientation course so they may learn more about the College.

Dianne Brandstadter, associate executive director for the S.C. State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, has stated that her adjunct faculty orientation could be a model for the System.

"Her greatest attribute is her enthusiasm for Tri-County and her willingness to do more than what is expected of her," added Dean in her nomination. "She volunteers her time for fundraisers and campus activities and even offered to teach a course for the Business and Human Services Division at the last minute. She is always willing to do whatever is necessary to get a job done even if the job is in another area of the College."

"Margaret is an innovative leader who has taken a number of risks for the College in terms of faculty and staff development offerings," said Vinson Burdette, associate dean of counseling. "Taking those risks and developing effective programs has earned her the respect of fellow employees, as well as supervisory personnel. Margaret promotes harmony on campus and is an agent for positive cultural changes. She envisions an environment in which constant improvement is the norm and where employees are free to express their professional creativity and ideas."

She is a member of the Professional and Organizational Development Network. Several years ago, she worked with Pendleton author Ron Rash in publishing a children's book, The Shark's Tooth.

She holds a B. S. in Accounting from Auburn University. She was chosen by the Executive Staff at the College to participate in the two-year Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Leadership Program at the University of South Carolina. She plans to transfer credits earned to Clemson where she plans to pursue her master's degree. She and her husband, Norman, have two daughters.
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